Welsh rugby’s injury crisis deepened today as Rhys Priestland and Aaron Shingler joined the list of casualties on another dark day for the game in Wales.

WELSH rugby’s injury crisis deepened further on Saturday as Rhys Priestland and Aaron Shingler joined the list of big-name casualties on another dark day for the game in Wales.

Outside-half Priestland was stretchered from the field in agony during the Scarlets’ dismal 16 - 22 home defeat against Exeter Chiefs, sparking fears he could be a doubt for Wales’ Six Nations campaign.

Scarlets coach Simon Easterby confirmed the 25-year-old now faces scans on a serious-looking Achilles injury, and there was further bad news as Shingler hobbled off with a groin problem and prop Samson Lee took a blow to the shoulder.

It is the latest series of worries for caretaker Wales chief Rob Howley, who is already sweating on the fitness of Alun Wyn Jones (shoulder), Ian Evans (knee), Jamie Roberts (elbow) and Leigh Halfpenny (neck) ahead the opening Six Nations clash against Ireland at the Millennium Stadium on February 2.

Wales have suffered crushing blows on the injury front in recent weeks, with key men Adam Jones and Dan Lydiate absent for the entire autumn series that saw Wales lose all four matches for the first time in history.

The Welsh regions have been counting the cost of those matches this weekend, with Richard Hibbard, Aaron Jarvis, Bradley Davies, George North, Rob McCusker and Josh Turnbull all also unavailable to their respective teams through injury.

Scarlets chief Easterby said: “We won't know the extent of Rhys’s injury until he has had a scan but it did not look good.

“It was one of those injuries that are going to happen and there is nothing you can do about it.

"We will wait for the results but it did not look good.

“As for Aaron, he has a groin injury, which he has had for a couple of weeks.

“Hopefully he will come through it but that did not look good either.”

The Scarlets’ disappointing result saw the Welsh region bow out of Europe’s premier competition with a third consecutive defeat in Pool 5, while the Ospreys’ 30 - 14 defeat in Toulouse leaves them on the brink of exiting a Heineken Cup tournament that seems certain to have no Welsh involvement beyond the group stages.

Cardiff Blues, who play Montpellier on Sunday, are also all but out after losing their opening two matches against Sale sharks and Toulon.

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